Stranded
by Deadmanshand95
Summary: When his town is overrun and used as a base by the Locust, he makes it his mission to kill as many Locust as he possibly can, but when he stumbles upon a conspiracy to destroy the Cogs, can he and Drone ally save the entire planet from Locust Rule?
1. Stranded

I turned the radio off and buried my head in my hands. The only sound came from my steady breathing and the creaking of the chair I was sitting in.

"I'm screwed." I told myself repeatedly, much to the dismay of my German Shepard, Marcus, named after Delta squad leader Sergent Marcus Fenix. For the most part, he's the poster boy of the Cogs, along with the rest of Delta. But, back to the problem at hand. Why am I screwed? I'll tell. I live in a city on the border of Cog territory. As in, right next to the Locusts. That made us prime for a Locust attack. It was inevitable. All it would take was time. And I spent that time wisely, stocking up on weapons and food. I'm glad I did, cause those weapons saved my ass in the end. Now I was trapped behind Locust lines and Cog help was not coming anytime soon. I was trapped. No, I was stranded. Stranded in a near ghost town, aside from a few survivors and scores of Locusts. My choices were few. Stay and fight, bide my time and pray for Cog assistance or flee like a little girl, the latter not being an option. I got up, grabbing my Lancer, and walk slowly to my garage. The lights flickered on, reveling a red Ford Mustang and a sport motorcycle. I dug the keys to the Mustang from my pocket. Marcus, being the show off kind of dog he is, opened the door with his paws and jumped in the passenger's seat. He sat like that car was his kingdom and that seat was his throne, like a king. He was far more confident than I. I got into the driver's seat. Marcus seemed to sense the incredible fear pouring from my body. I'm no hero. I turned the car on, letting it warm up for a moment. Marcus whimpered.

"Come on. Lets not psyche ourselves out. Marcus and Delta do this every day. Why can't we?" Marcus was completely silent, so I continued. "Look, at least well we're here, lets make those bastards pay for the lives they've taken." Marcus responded with a happy yip. I opened the door to the garage. I put the Mustang in drive and tore out of the garage. I looked back to make sure the garage door closed. My name is Ranger Moore and I, Along with my canine companion Marcus, am going to kick Locust ass, even if we are stranded.


	2. Strange Allies

The streets were empty, but I sorta expected that. My Lancer rested comfortably on my shoulder. I looked around, hoping to find a Drone or a Boomer. My wish came true when a squad of Drones came my way. I opened my window as to get a good shot. I picked up the Sniper I kept in the backseat and took aim. I took aim and fired. It was a head shot. Blood was spewing from where the Drone's head once resided. 4 of the remaining 5 opened fire, the other just stood there. I killed off the 4 quite easily, their Hammerhursts no match for my Lancer. The last Drone actually got down on his knees and begged. I folded my arms and listened.

"Hear me out. I just wanna go home in one piece. I got a family and I hate the Locust army. They took everything from me and forced me to join. My conscience has given me hell ever since this war started and now I just wanna make amends for the lives I've taken. Please, don't kill me." The look on his face was genuine.

"Fine, but so long as you help fight the Locust horde. Now get up." He looked more confident now. He grabbed his Hammerhurst.

"Thank you. You won't regret this." We went back to the car and put it in drive. He squeezed in the back. Marcus was aggressive at first, but he warmed up after I explained what was going on. We pulled up to an office building. The Drone stared at the looming structure.

"Hmm.... what should I call you?" It took a few moments, but then something popped into my head. "Dom." I, being the Delta fan that I was, knew that Dom was Marcus's wingman and Drone was my wingman, so it fit. The Drone looked at me, confused.

"Why Dom?" I forgot he didn't know the names of the Delta members.

"Dom is the Delta squad leader's wingman, like you're my wingman. Get it?" Dom nodded. "K, now lets get in there. I have reason to believe they are using this structure as a prison. We need to rescue anyone in there, eliminate the Leader, most likely a Cyclops, and get out of there. We want minimum Human casualties, got it?" He nodded. I gave him an earpiece and a First aid kit "Good, now lets get in there." We broke down the doors and ran in, taking cover behind tables. The guards were easy, being killed by a few Lancer and Hammerhurst shots. Dom and I went rushing for cover, reason being two Boomers came our way. We sneaked into the staircase and went to the 2nd floor, knowing from the chat we picked up from a couple of Drones that was where the Cyclops was. I activated my earpiece.

"You ready?" I asked Dom through the earpiece.

"Lets kick some Locust ass!" Was his gruff, Drone voiced response from the earpiece. We barged in to the locked office to find a Cyclops about to cut a guy in half. I engaged him in a chainsaw battle, while Dom was fighting a Boomer. The Cyclops was quickly demolished by my Lancer, his blood splattering everywhere. Then I set my sights on the Boomer attacking Dom. I fired a few shots to get his attention. He fired an easily dodged shot. What he did hit was the wire that held the radiator above his head. The radiator hit the Boomer on the head, causing him to stumble out the window. Dom released the man tied to the chair and the man ran in terror.

"I'd call this mission success." I said, causally slinging my Lancer over my shoulder. Dom was engrossed in something on the desk. I peered over his shoulder. What I saw made me wish I didn't.


	3. Hasty Exit

"A traitor? In the Cogs! I can't believe this!" I ranted. We had returned to my house. Dom was seated on a couch opposite of me, the old couch sagging and creaking under his weight. I was seated in front of the TV, which was off. The thing that caught Dom's attention back at the office were spy reports on Cog activity. Classified Cog activity. That meant that whoever the mole was, they were in deep. We had to rat them out, least all of humanity is wiped out. Also, the reports said that Delta and Omega squads had turned against each other. This was obviously part of their plan, whatever it was.

"We have to get out of this city and warn Delta. We can't go to command. The spy is obviously inside command, so there's no point." Dom got up and walked into garage. He grabbed the keys to the car and started it up. The engine roared to life.

"Fine. You and Marcus take the car and I'll take my motorbike." I started up my motorbike as Marcus got in the car, Dom closing it behind him. We roared out of the garage, taking one last look at the place my sister and I called home. Fortunately, my sister was in Jacinto. I trailed behind them, my Boltac Pistol (I don't remember how it's spelled) at the ready. Fortunately, we met no resistance 'till we made it to the Locust-Cog border. There, we were attacked by some Drones. I fired my Boltac pistol at several, hitting two. Hammerhurst bullets propelled themselves into Drones' skulls. We finally made it past the Locust border and into Cog territory. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Freedom!" Dom and I yelled into the earpieces at the same time. I heard Marcus in the background, yipping happily. "Alright, Phase 1 complete, move to Phase 2." I told Dom.

"What is Phase 2?" Dom asked.

"We have to defend the town up ahead." I explained coolly. If only I knew what I had just gotten myself into.......


	4. Beers and Bikers

We must have drove for hours, the wind whipping through my brown-dyed-red hair. Dom seemed to have taken a liking to my car, as he was talking about giving it hot rod flames and a mounted frontal turret.

"And then, I'll give it a green racing stripe...." Dom droned. Now I know where Drones got their name! I was relieved to see a biker bar up ahead. Finally! Civilization!

"Dom, pull into that bar ahead." I ordered through the earpiece. Dom did as instructed, turning off the car as he did. The silence was relief to Man, Drone and Beast. We strode confidently into the bar. We were met by strange and scared stares. Dom and I took our seats at the bar, Marcus at my heels. The bar was homely, with it's wood walls and men watching football on TV. The waitress looked about 13. Family business. Definitely, considering she was wearing a pair of jeans torn at the kneecaps and a black tee shirt. The girl was listening to her I-Pod, until Dom pounded his rock-size fist on the bar. I swear I felt the bar shake! She looked up and turned off her I-Pod. She wasn't scared of Dom at all! I got a Molson Canadian. Dom, knowing nothing about the art of selecting and consuming beer, ordered one as well. The waitress nodded.

"I'm not that scary, am I?" Dom laughed, lightening the mood. He then turned his head to the TV, where the men were cheering on the Titans. Dom and I joined in, drinking, laughing, ranting, arguing who was the better quarterback. All the while, the waitress watch us with a certain curiosity. Marcus shared the same look. The game ended at 6:00.

"What brings you both down here?" one of the men asked.

"Heading toward New Jacinto." I responded

"Same here. Name's John. Me and the boys were getting ready to repel the Locust. We're leaving in a few hours. Care to join us?" I took another swig of my beer.

"What do you think, Dom? Ready to hit the trail again?" Dom looked bright eyed and twitchy.

"Do I still get to drive the car?" Dom inquired, causing all of us to burst out laughing.

"Yes." I replied before going into another laughing fit. After we all calmed down, the waitress came over to take the now empty beers. I looked at the clock. 7:00. Almost time to go.

"I always wanted to got to New Jacinto." The waitress muttered to herself.

"Why don't you? I think my Mustang can fit you plus a Drone and a barking slobber machine." I heard her fumble with the empty bottles. Intended reaction. She turned back to me.

"You serious?" She asked, slightly confused, slightly excited. I nodded. She got rid of the beers and sat down. "Well, in that case, count me in! I'm Holly." She said.

"I'm Ranger, that's Dom." I pointed to Drone making arm wrestling matches look as easy as walking. "And the little eavesdropper is Marcus." I said, lifting up the tablecloth to reveal a startled German Shepard. An hour later, we were on the road, bikes and car roaring behind a huge tractor trailer. Marcus was preforming the dog custom of sticking his head out the window, drool trailing behind him and nailing Hector. Hector sure didn't think of it as funny, but to us it was flat out hilarious. Best enjoy the good times while they last. We were almost to the city when all hell broke loose.


	5. Ambush!

"Ambush!" Dom and John screamed over the earpieces. My Boltac pistol was firing at the Boomers and Drones that had appeared on the side of the road. The Tractor Trailer opened up to reveal ten machine gun turrets and one on top, along with scores of soldiers. The battle was won in minutes. Or so we thought. More Drones on motorcycles showed up. One tried to knock me off, but missed, allowing me to deliver a swift kick to the stomach. The Drone bounced down the highway, eventually disappearing from sight. I then focused on the Drones surrounding Dom, Marcus and Holly. Dom was picking them off like flies, his Hammerhurst showing it's worth. I gunned my cycle, coming up to a Drone. My fist was soon planted firmly in his face, followed quickly by a kick to same area, sending him spiraling down the highway. Another tried to sneak up on me. I took all my weight onto my hands as I rose to a handstand on my handlebars to avoid his fist. The sudden burst in momentum caused the headstrong Drone to fall head over heels for the pavement.

"I now pronounce you Drone and pavement!" I yelled, causing John to laugh. I got back onto my bike and fell in next to another Drone. He tried to hit me with his Hammerhurst, which I grabbed and kicked from his grasp, sending him into a Drone and motorcycle pileup. I decided to keep the Hammerhurst for myself. Then I noticed something.

The bridge ahead was out.

"Everyone, gun it!" I ordered. There was a deafening roar, The Mustang exhaust port light ablaze. We prepared for the inevitable. I closed my eyes. I felt myself take off and opened my eyes. The feeling was heart pounding, blood pumping excitement. I heard a collective "Ye Haw!" from the radio, of which I was part of. We all landed, rattled, but safe. Even the Tractor Trailer made it! Everyone got off their bikes and out of the car and tractor trailer to find a whole crowd of locals clapping and cheering. A boy came running up to me.

"Amazing entrance!" He complemented.

"Where are we?" I can't believe I didn't recognize this place.

"Why, you're in New Jacinto, silly!"


	6. Defence of New Jacinto

So this is New Jacinto! Pretty nice, if you ask me. Wonder where they found money for shit like this. I was shook back into reality by Holly. Apparently, while I was quiet, my stomach sounded like our little bridge jump.

"Hungry?" Holly cooed, making me turn red.

"Hell yes!" All the bikers and myself shouted. We were greeted by a feast fit for a million kings. My mouth watered. It pained me to eat all that food. Just kidding! It was the greatest time of my life. After our feast, we got down to business. Securing buildings. Setting up turrets. Gearing up. Etc etc. We knew the Locust were coming, and now we were ready. Dom was using his new shotgun, a present from Hector. I was using my trademark bloodstained Lancer. Holly was surprisingly good with a turret. Apparently, she has one in her backyard, which was weird, but cool. A scout on a motorcycle was riding like he had all the Locust army on his tail. He screeched to a halt in front of me, kicking up loose asphalt as he did.

"The Locust are about a mile away, Sir!" Sir. I like that. I dismissed the scout and prepared for battle. We just have to hold the city hall and we've won it. Dom was with me at the entrance behind a building. Hector and another soldier were behind the building to our right, waiting for the Locust to spring our trap. I felt the moment nearing with every drawn breath. We had the advantage of surprise, which will be key in this battle. The difference between life and death. Success and failure. Then, they came. Just Drones and a Cyclops or two. I made my breaths as shallow as possible to avoid alerting the enemy prematurely. Dom was itching to kick ass. He got his chance minutes later. They never saw it coming. I engaged the Cyclops closest to me. Dom was trying his new shotgun on for size. Our snipers were going their jobs, for sure. Locust blood stained the streets in the end. In the center of the mayhem was Dom and I standing back-to-back. But something wasn't right. Then I found out.

"Brumack!"


	7. Cole VS Brumack

"I want that bastard dead!" John shouted over the earpiece. Dom, Hector and I started running while the other soldier went into the building he was hiding behind. Meanwhile, Holly and the others were pounding the Brumack with all they had. It was a death race. Us VS. Brumack. I didn't slow down for a moment. Dom kept up with while Hector had already been squashed under it's massive feet. It was starting to catch up when I heard relief.

"Come on, Bitch! Yo gonna get fucked up by the Cole train!" The former football player jumped on the Brumack's head and dug his Lancer into it's skull, felling it. He came over to Dom and I.

"Who da fuck are you? And why do yo look like a Locust army bled all over you?" Cole asked, slinging his lancer over his shoulder.

"One, I'm Ranger and thats Dom. 2, A Locust army DID bleed all over us" I said, pointing to Dom.

"Dom! You a Locust?" I laughed

"Thats his name, dumb ass! Its a coincidence!" I yelled.

"Oh. I was about to say.... never mind." We walked over to the town hall where everyone had gathered. Marcus yipped happily while Cole showered him with pets.

"Who doggy?" Cole asked, scratching Marcus under the chin.

"Thats Marcus." I think Cole caught on by now. "So Cole, what bring you to New Jacinto?"

"Ass kicking. Missions. The usual." He responded, still scratching Marcus. We all laughed. That laugh soon turned to crying when we saw what was coming.

"Oh sweet mother fucking shit." Cole muttered as he stood up to watch the horror that was.

A Brumack army.


	8. Day of the Brumacks and more bad news

"Life's a bitch, ain't it?" I asked rhetorically. After the shock wore off, everybody was preparing for the inevitable confrontation. Cole and I were perched on a building near the path of the Brumack parade.

"How many?" I asked Cole.

"15 or 16. too many." Thats not good. Dom and John waited on the building across from us. Then, they came. One at a time. I waited 'till Cole yelled.

"Now!" We leaped aboard one, while John and Dom leaped aboard another. The rider, a Cyclops, had his weapon smacked out of his hands as soon as I leaped on. It was now fist on fist. I ducked under a left hook and delivered a staggering uppercut. However, the Cyclops was not fazed. Quite the opposite. He got me hard in the gut. Meanwhile, Cole was beginning to dissect the Brumack. Back to the fight, I got hit by another hard hit, this one in the chest. The blow sent me flying toward the tail end of the behemoth. I wasn't ready to give up yet. I waited for him to come over to me. From my facing up prone position, I hoisted the now shocked Cyclops onto my feet and propelled him into the air in one swift rolling motion. The thud of him hitting pavement was music to my ears. I quickly ran over to Cole, who was making hamburger meat of the Brumack's brain. Finally, the beast let out one last roar and began to fall. Cole and I barely made it back to the building!

"One down, 14 to go." Cole muttered. We hopped on the next Brumack. The rider, another Cyclops, revved up his chainsaw bayonet, as did I. The blades whined and squealed as they connected. The Cyclops was a decent competitor, but no match for me.

"Hey, Ranger! We having ugly ass chicken tonight!" Guess who. I whistled.

"Chicken, no. ugly as hell, yea!" I yelled above the din. The noise was deafening. Blades cutting though bone and each other, the savage cries of human and Locust alike and the sound of rushing blood. This Brumack stood no chance against the football player. We leaped back on the building, where Dom and John were waiting.

"Damn, there's too many! We gotta fall back!" we all knew john was right.

We just didn't want to.

"CHARGE!!!!!" A voice screamed over the radio.

"Dizzy?" Cole asked, stunned.

"Don't worry. Betty and friends 'll take it from here!" As if an answer to our prayers, a convoy was seen in the distance. Small, yes. But that was fine by us. 2 Centaurs, a few Assault Derricks, and a few King Ravens. The Brumacks fell like dominoes. They were simply no match for the combined onslaught. The last THUD was music to my ears. Everyone gathered in the town square, which had survived the onslaught.

"Damn. I thought it would never end." Cole muttered. I knew he had spoken everyone's mind. The silence was a welcome change. Although we did win, that win came with consequences. The city lie in ruins. Many good men were lost. Hundreds were injured. Marcus nudged at my heels, whimpering. I patted his head. He, too, sensed the sadness rolling off the men in the city square. Then, suddenly, a cry went up.

"Hoo-Ra!" Others soon took up the call. It inspired hope. We were the survivors and we're damn proud of it. Dizzy hopped off his Assault Derrick and came up to the 6 of us. He shook hands with all of us.

"Dizzy, you crazy bastard! What are you doing here?" Cole asked while shaking his hand. Dizzy's face went pale

"We got one hell of a problem on our hands. The Locust have kidnapped the rest of Delta!" Dizzy practically yelled. Everyone fell silent.

"I assume this is only part of the convoy?" Holly concluded.

"Something ain't right here." Dom spoke suddenly.

"Elaborate." John ordered. Dom told the story of the spy reports.

"I think the spy reports and Delta's kidnapping may be connected." Dom concluded. It was plausible and all we had to work with, aside from the spy reports.

"John, tell your boys to haul their asses into that trailer." I ordered. John gave the order and everyone began to pack. "Holly, you and Dom get in the car and form up with the convoy. Same goes for you, John." they all nodded and ran off. I walked with Dizzy through the mayhem.

"So, Dizzy. Where are these little bastards holed up?"

"Underground tunnel complex. Pretty damn impressive if you ask me." Dizzy stated over the din.

"Estimated arrival time?"

"4 hours."

"Anything else I should know?" I asked as the Tractor Trailer flew past me and linked up with the convoy.

"Some Locust bigshot is there." Dizzy warned. I smiled.

"So? All the Locust are big." I countered, going over to my bike. "You think Betty would mind a little more luggage?"

"The more the merrier." We laughed for a moment. After my bike was stored away in Betty's hull, I took a moment to observe my surroundings a little closer. The once proud city was left in shambles. The forest was replaced by plains. This is war. I looked over our little convoy. Two Centaurs, two Assault Derricks, two King Ravens, a huge Tractor Trailer and an 09 Mustang. We are different in many ways. But we all share one thing.

We fight for a cause worth fighting for.


	9. Down Under

"We're here." Dizzy announced. I was atop the cabin, looking over the area. Marcus was waiting patiently at my heels. Several other convoys were waiting for us. The launch site was an abandon cemetery.

"This place is spooky." Holly commented over her earpiece.

"Think this is scary? Wait 'till you see the tunnels." Dizzy said.

"IF you see the tunnels." I put in. I heard a disheartened sigh.

"Come on, Please!" She pleaded. I weighed it over in my head. It was tough. She was, what, 16? I finally came to decision.

"Fine. You're with Cole." I gave in. I was weak.

"Yes!" She cheered in triumph. I heard Dom grumbling in the background, but I ignored it. We all gathered by the trailer, including the other convoy leaders. Everyone was introduced.

"Sergent Kenji Bark." A young brown haired man introduced himself as. I won't name the others cause they ain't important and I'd be here all night.

"Alright, I have a plan....." I began.

"Who died and made you boss!" one soldier screeched. I went up to him and got up in his face, barking mad.

"Watch your tongue, soldier." I hissed and then backed away. "As I was saying, we'll divide up the area. Convoys 1-5, you got the west graveyard. 6-10, you got east. 11-15, you got north. The other five will take the south. The rest of you, find a zone, a partner and get your asses down there. Now, MOVE!" there was a scramble to move machinery and such, finding partners (I went alone) and generally preparing for hell. Marcus chose to stay with Dizzy and some of the others. After 10 minutes, everything was ready. I got in a drop pod. As the safety bars encircled my head, a million thoughts ran through my head. I felt the pod being placed close to the ground. The engines whined to life. The vibrations were monumental. Finally, the pod was dropped. I could feel my head bouncing against the metal, I could smell the smoke from the engines. This went on for a few moments before it stopped violently. Surprisingly, I didn't feel sick. I stepped out of the pod, praying no Locust heard my entrance. After a few minutes of silence, I assumed I made it unnoticed. A stealthy entrance was pretty hard with noisy, 2 ton drop pods, ya know? I went to the edge of the cliff my pod had landed on. Below me was chaos. Pods became rain. It was a spectacular sight. I pressed my earpiece.

"Cole, Holly. Check in."

"Damn, we're screwed to a wall over here!" Cole yelled.

"Boomers!" Holly called.

"Uh, okay. Gimme a minute." I told them. I jumped down onto the platform below me, then the next. From my position, I could clearly see Holly and Cole. Below me, a Sniper is milling around, probably waiting for orders. I crouch and wait for the Sniper to edge his way closer to me. He instead moves over toward the edge.

"Perfect." I whisper to myself. I lightly jump down, careful not to alert him. Though he seems to interested in pods. I come up behind him.

"Mind if I borrow that?" He turned around, only to be greeted by my fist. "Didn't think so." I muttered as I relived him of his sniper.

"Uh, Ranger. Its getting a little close here." Holly said nervously.

"Gimme a minute." I mutter, searching the Locust for ammo. "Jackpot!" I cry as I relive him of a box of the shit. I settled in and aimed the sniper. Drones were swarming the two by the dozens. I took aim, held my breath and let one loose. Headshot. Another shot, another dead. Despite my sniper cover, they kept coming. And coming, and coming. Until a squad of Gears took up positions beside Holly and Cole.

"This is Alpha Six to Ranger. We got this. Get to the base." the leader ordered.

"Copy." with that, I closed my comm line and moved down the spiraling pathway. Halfway down, I couldn't help but notice something odd leaping from pillar to pillar, lugging something huge in it's hands. I ruled it off as an illusion and moved on. About halfway down, I met some resistance in the form of Drones. Not much of a problem, though. Lancer made quick work of 'em. Everything was going smoothly until.

"I''M HIT!"

"DAMN!"

"SNIPER!" all filled the airwaves.

"This is Gamma 5. We're getting picked off by a Sniper over here. Anyone, please respond!"

"Gamma, this is Ranger. Get outta range and lemme deal with 'em. Where's your position?"

"She's got us pinned in the canyon." Came the response.

"Wait, she?" I asked curiously. Not to many female in the Locust army.

"One of Rem's, I bet." The leader responded.

"Rem?" I asked curiously.

"RAAM's daughter." He clarified. Great. Just damn wonderful.

"Regardless, get outta there. The Sniper's mine." I ordered. The canyon was just at the bottom of the trail.

"Copy. Movin'.......AH!" the comm went silent. All that I heard was a giggle, probably from a distance. I then booked it to the canyon, my heart sinking with every step.

**(Holly)**

"Cole, where are we?" I asked. I thought we were lost, but Cole seemed to know his way around this place.

"Close to the palace. I can smell those bastards already." Cole remarked.

"Damn, they got a Kantus!" Came over the airwaves.

"Where are you guys?" Cole and I ask at the same time. Two flares, one red, one green, shot into the air. Each one from a different path in the fork ahead. The green came from the left, the red, right.

"Ours is the green one." the leader explained.

"Be there in a minute." Cole and I both said. With that, we went our separate ways.

**(Dom)**

I hate those pods. I really do. At least it dropped me out of sight. At least, thats what I thought, till a friggin' arrow almost took my head off. The Theron Guard was NOT happy to see me. Quite the opposite.

"So, you're that rouge everybody's been talking about?" The Theron asks venomously.

"Yep." I said, drawing my shotgun.

"Well, I'll enjoy killing you. Too bad. Rem wanted you all to herself."

"You're James, are you not?"

"Thats me. Enough talk." He crouched down "Die!"

**(P.S. James, as well as a few other characters, is ****animelover inf's. I'll name the others when they appear. Until next time, Peace!)**


	10. Ginger

**(Ranger)**

I could see her clearly now. The sniper. She was on a platform overlooking the canyon. The canyon itself was a mass grave. Didn't have much time to think after that, as I was interrupted by a sniper round skimming my hair.

"Aw, I wanted to see your head go splat." the sniper whined over the comm.

"How did you get this frequency?" I asked.

"Easy. Took someone's earpiece. By the way, I'm Ginger."

"Well, Ginger. I'd say I'm pleased to meet ya, but I ain't, so....." I let it hang for a moment. Any longer and my ear would be hanging. I moved just seconds before a sniper shot came my way.

"Hold still!" She teased, firing sniper rounds wildly around me as ran. After a few minutes of running, I found a good spot, settled in and took my shot. I managed to get her shoulder.

"Ouch! That really hurt!" She whined as she climbed the stairs to the next level. She fired a shot that got my left ear. There was that giggle from Alpha leader's comm. I baseball slid into cover and checked my ear. Damn, clean off.

"You're gonna pay for that!" I yelled into the comm.

"OOo, I'm SO scared." She said sarcastically.

"You should be." I growled. I made another dash up the path, closer and closer to the platform. I found another good spot, crouched, reloaded and took my shot. This time, I got her leg. She cried in pain and fell. I got up and ran toward the platform, revenge and victory two things on my mind. I climbed the platform as Ginger tried desperately to crawl away, but her injured leg prevented her from doing so. I had her cornered and she damn well knew it. She leaned against a wall for support, only to be pushed back down and have her face smashed against the wall. She slipped into sweet darkness after that. I took a moment to examine her weapon closer. It was sleeker than the rest. Probably some kind of perk to it, so I threw away my old sniper in favor of Ginger's. Curious, I patted her down for more spoils. If there's one thing I knew, it was never bring something onto the battlefield you're not willing to lose. I found a few sniper rounds and a picture of a Kantus, but, other than that, nothing of real value. I take the picture and the rounds I begin to walk away, but then I stop.

"Should I?" I asked myself. I quickly brushed it off and kept walking, but another nagging thought came up.

Am I just taking this picture for the sake of taking it?

**(Yes, I know, its short. Its hard to make a long sniper fight. At least, for me it is. Oh, before I forget, Ginger is not mine. Ginger belongs to animelover inf. Next one 'll be longer, I promise. 'till next time, this is Wolverine18 signing off.)**


	11. James

**(Dom)**

My life sucked about then. On top of having to take a pod ride from hell, I get to face a Theron Guard who's last concern is my safety. I rolled clear of another arrow, only to get thrown from the impact.

"Damn Theron." I muttered to myself. I didn't get time to say much else, for an arrow missed me by inches. I just barely rolled out of the blast radius. I sprung to my feet and took cover behind a rock. I knew I had to change tactics to get out of this mess in one piece. He took another shot, missing my head, the arrow planting itself firmly in the wall behind me. I rolled out of the way again, just barely. I fired my shotgun in his direction a few times, but to no avail. I decided to get up close and personal. Only when I went to introduce him to the butt of my shotgun, he wasn't there.

"Took ya long enough." I looked above me to find James on the catwalk directly above me.

"Are we here to talk or fight. Cause last time I checked, Shotgun beats the shit outta mouth." I retorted. Our battle resumed, him launching his explosive arrows from his Torque bow, me firing off my Shotgun. After about twenty minutes of this back and forth little dance between us, I came to this conclusion.

"I either need to get up to him without getting my head blown off, or bring him down here." I concluded, wincing as an arrow blew up near me. I peeked around the rock to get a look at the catwalk. Damn. Can't snap metal supports. Only after I look to a little left of the supports do I get an idea. Because perched off the side of a cliff is a drop pod. If I could activate it, it would cut right through the metal. Fortunately, the truster button is over the edge. One good shot..........

"Ready to give up?" James mocks from the safety of the catwalk. I smirk.

"Not quite yet." I can't see his face, but I know its probably something along the lines of "What the hell is he talking about?" I switched to my Hammerhurst and peeked out. Lined it up. I let a burst free. The engine made a horrible hissing sound before darting off the cliff and, just as predicted, through the metal. A freight train of realization hit James. Or maybe it was the ground. I dunno, but it looked like it hurt. He got up, beaten and battered, but in one piece. I wasted no time in disarming him. He disarmed me. It was a fistfight now. I gave him a hard jab, which he blocked and returned. The jab hurt, but wasn't enough to bring me down. I gave him a strong, hard, punch, which connected with his face and sent him sprawling to the ground. He wasn't down for long though. He quickly regained his composure and tried to kick me. I grabbed his foot and swiped his other from out under him. Unfortunately, I was still holding his leg. He used that to kick me in the face and send me pinwheeling to maintain my balance. Using that time, he got back up, bloody, but still fighting.

"Time to finish this." James growled. When I finally stopped pinwheeling, I faced another dilemma.

He had pistol in my face.

"Impressive trick. My turn!" I said, hitting him square in the jaw. The sheer force of the knuckle busting punch sent him into a rock. He tried to get in one last shot, but I kicked the pistol out of his hands. For him, its all downhill from there. I smacked his head against the rock he was leaning on a few times. I could see his eyes drooping.

"Rem, I'm sorry." Were the last words he spoke before losing consciousness. I went over to collect my weapons and his Torque bow. I also picked up his little pocket pistol, deciding it could be useful. On a hunch, I pat him down for more treasure. All I found was some pocket pistol ammo, arrows and a picture of Rem. I took all of them and headed toward the fight, praying my comrades were still fighting strong.

**(Told you it would be longer! James is not my character. He's animelover inf's. Hope you like it. 'till next time, this is Wolverine18, signing out.)**


	12. Ken

**(Holly)**

I can see the arena like area ahead of me, the green smoke still trailing from it. I quickly ran under an archway to find only one soldier left. I quickly take up position beside. He didn't even look at me as he scanned the battlefield, now devoid of life. Then I heard it. A quick, low hiss coming from behind me. I turn around just as a huge explosion is set off, knocking me over. The other guy is killed by a piece of falling rubble.

"Nowhere to run." A voice behind me snickered. Sure enough, she was right. The rubble from the explosion now blocked my way out. I turned around. Facing me was a Kantus. No mask, no weapon and wearing red battle armor with matching skirt.

"And just who are you?" I ask, prepping my Boltac pistol.

"Name's Ken. And I don't need guns to kill you." Ken replied. Cocky much? Another low hissing sound. I moved out of the way just in time. The Ticker imploded. And it's guts got on my new shoes. Great. Just wonderful. I aim in her direction, but she's gone. Another hiss. I hit this one over to a rock barrier. Blows up. Reveals Ken. I took a few shots at her, but they didn't do much. Ken didn't stay in my sights for too long. She quickly moved....... somewhere. Damn, she was fast! I knew I was gonna need to catch her in order to fight her, so I tried to out maneuver her. It was no use. Finally, she cornered me in a cave. Everything beyond that point is sort of a blur. She leaped at me. There was a hissing noise behind her. Then everything went dark.

* * *

**(Ranger)**

The platform was rocking. Some kind of explosion or some shit. A sudden, violent movement downward forced me to the ground. Through the chain link bottom, I could see the ground moving closer....... closer........ closer.......... SMASH! We fell through the bottom of the canyon. The Shockwave was tremendous. SMASH! We stopped. I forced myself up and rushed to where the Locust lie unconscious. She was now conscious. That was good, as we had another problem.

**(I'm a horrible person. But I don't care. 'till next time, Peace!)**


	13. Scorn

**(Cole)**

I was getting close. I could smell it. That aroma of blood didn't help my confidence. I came upon a precariously perched big round platform, supported only by the steel holding it to the rocks. On it stood a lone Locust, facing toward the edge with his head lowered and eyes closed.. He was big, to put it mildly, holding one of those chainsaw staffs. On one end was the chainsaw, on the other was a sword. I found a chainsaw staff in the hands of a dead Cog and approached. He seemed to sense my presence. His eyes shot open. They were a bloodshot and blood hungry. I could see the adrenaline pulsing through his body. He turned slowly, as though taunting me.

"So, your the one that got away, eh? Pathetic!" He spits. "Names Scorn, son of Skorge."

"You certainly ugly like him, thats for damn sure." I taunt. His eyes flash dangerously. Maybe I shouldn't have said that.

"Lets see if you can talk when I'm done with ya!" He yelled. I blocked him, but just barely. I was in a dangerous tug-of-war. I felt him begin to gain ground. I desperation, I went for a low blow. He caught it with his free hand.

"That desperate already?" He taunted. He threw me back. "Pathetic. Thats what you get for eating all that KFC." He insulted KFC. HE MUST DIE!!! Scorn looked scared. I shot up and came at him with all I had. Our chainsaws clashed, whining and groaning against each other. Mine was the victor, throwing him back to the edge of the platform. I strapped my chainsaw staff on my back and crouched down, ready to end this. He slowly rose. When he did finally stand, I barreled into him, sending both of us spiraling off the platform and to the ground below. Fortunately, I landed on him and he landed on metal. I got up and cleared my head. Then it hit me like a linebacker. Metal? Sure enough, it was metal. And in the wall was a door! I found it! No time to celebrate, though. Big 'n Ugly was back up and ready to clash with the Cole Train once more. I took my Staff from off my back and revved it up again. Instead of revving his up, he split it in half. Great, now he's got two weapons. He revved the chainsaw part up and attacked. I ducked from a high blow, but got hit by his sword. Hard. That sent me into a metal wall. And I was bleeding. At least he was worse than me. All I had to do was run him out of fuel and then go rescue the others. He swung at me with all his might, but missed and dug his sword into a rock wall. He tried with his chainsaw. Got that stuck too. I wound up just banging his head into the wall, knocking him unconscious. I kept my staff and took off, hoping to find Marcus before some unfortunate shit happened.

That was pretty damn often.

Then it hit me.

"KFC just won me a fight?"

**(Sup! I ended this one on a humorous note. I'm glad I'm done with these guys so I can move on to the big fight. But you'll have to wait a little bit. So, till then, This is Wolverine18 signing out.)**


	14. Tunnel of Terror and Transformation

**(Holly)**

"My head!" I moaned as I finally came too. It was pitch black, the only light coming from my wristwatch. And to top off my day, I'm terrified of the dark. I moved my wrist around until I came upon the Locust, killed by a piece of rock crushing her head. I used my wristwatch to light my work as I searched her praying for.....

"Yes!" I cried in success. My prize? A battery powered flashlight. I clicked it on, illuminating the cave and the rest of the scene. A dead Ticker corpse told me that a Ticker had exploded, burying the entrance in rubble. I sighed and scavenged the dead Locust for more shit. I found a book of chants and a bracelet. Thats about it. Oh, and a few pictures. Pocketing my prizes, I cautiously started down the cold, stone tunnel. Scanning the walls with my flashlight, I noticed what looked like scratch marks on them. A closer inspection revealed thats what they were. Human scratch marks. Deep ones. I gulped down my fear. It didn't work. I could feel myself shaking. Whatever that thing was, it made meals of Cogs and it would make a snack outta me. I was genuinely scared now, shaking in my designer boots. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

"Relax Holly, Relax. Its just some marks. Nothing to freak out about, right?" I soothed. It didn't do much. I got up and kept walking, completely on edge.

"EHHH!" Some krill flew past.

"EEEP!" I shrieked loudly. Not one of my finer moments.

I sighed and kept walking. This was gonna be a long trip.

* * *

**(Ranger)**

I was pinned down by Lambent Locust coming from the entrance of a cave. A cave I needed to escape. Furthermore, my only support, Ginger, had just bled to death. My day was getting worse by the minute. I fired off a few burst rounds. I went for my earpiece, only to feel a clump of skin. She shot my ear off, remember? I was on my own. I fired off a few more rounds, killing a few off. I quickly searched for anything useful. Fortunately, I found a few grenades in my pocket. I tossed one at them, blasting them all to bits. Unfortunately, it caused the cave ti begin to crumble. I hopped over the barrier and made a dash for the cave, sliding in at the last minute. In the pitch black I was able to locate my flashlight. I flicked it on and started to move at a casual pace. I scanned the walls, finding scratch marks all across the wall.

"Spooky." I commented "Whatever, or Whoever, lives here must have on hell of an appetite. It would never beat Cole in a KFC eating contest, though!" I laughed, my laugh echoing off the walls. A familiar scream soon pierced the air.

"Holly!" I dashed off to where the scream came from.

* * *

**(Holly)**

"Holly! Wait up!" Could it be? I saw another flashlight. It got closer....closer...closer.

"Ranger!" I yelled. It was like a million pounds of worry was lifted off me. He ran up, out of breath.

"I heard you scream." He explained in between breaths.

"Just some Krill." I explained.

"Aw, I wanted to shoot something." He teased. I smacked him on the head.

"Alright, lets get outta here." I ordered. We began to make our way down the winding tunnel, until we cave to a cave where a Locust was standing in front of a pit of Imulsion. She seemed calm. Peeking into the room, when I poked my head in, I saw something staring back at me. With closed eyes. I almost screamed, but Ranger quickly covered my mouth and motioned for me to be quiet. I nodded and took his hand off my mouth.. the body was one anybody would notice. RAAM. Which means, the female Locust must be Rem. This brought questions. Why would Rem want all this unprocessed Imulsion? Why does she want RAAM's body. My concentration was broken by her coming closer to me. With each step she took closer, my heart skipped a beat. I breathed a sigh of relief as she went over to the body.

"Don't worry dad. You'll be back soon." She said, then walked back over to the pit. She looked back into it, then over to me, her eyes bloodshot. "I know you're there." She said to me. I let out a little squeak. Ranger boldly stepped out, while I did come out, but slowly, my boots making loud noises as they met the dirt floor. Rem grabbed a Mulcher out of the corner and aimed it at me. Ranger grabbed his Lancer, and I just stood there like a deer in headlights. Rem did not give us warning. She just attacked. Ranger dodged. I panicked. I picked up a grenade from near RAAM and threw it. Rem dodged it. And it flew right into the Imulsion pit. Needless to say, it exploded, with far more force then one would expect. The cave began to collapse. Rem ran out, giving us a little taunting wave before the rubble buried all the entrances. I then felt something building up in my lungs. I began to cough, as did Ranger. That is when it hit me.

"The Imulsion!" I yelled as the now airborne substance filled my lungs. The explosion must have created a chemical reaction, causing the Imulsion to turn into a gas form. My lungs felt like they were on fire. Burning. It hurt. My legs buckled, then gave way to my own weight. I tried to prop myself up with my hands, but I fall right back down. My body ached, crying for oxygen. All it got is Imulsion. My vision begins to blur. I feel my body giving way to unconsciousness. Just before I lose consciousness, I see an explosion blow open one of the exits........ at least, I think it was an exit. I was disoriented at the time. Everything went black after that.

Light........... Why is that light so damn bright? A few minutes pass before I can see. Where am I? I get up off the bed I was on. As my senses begin to start functioning, I realized I'm not in the same clothes. I'm in a hospital gown. I walked out, stumbling into the hallway, my vision going in and out of focus. I stumbled into a bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I look fine. Well, I have scars on my face from some shrapnel, but I was fine, other than that. I look at my hands. They look fine. Thats when something comes up my throat. I let it all go into the sink, then came back up, looking in the sink as my puke funneled down the drain. It was brownish looking. Brown............ Rust.

Rustlung. It took a minute to click, but once it did, My reflection in the mirror turned to one of shock. That explained all the lung pains I'd been having. I also realized that Death would be coming for me at some point. If not now, later. The burning in my lungs forced me to clench onto the sides of the sink. The shocked expression on my face turned into a pained one as more rust-colored puke found it's way to the sink. My raven colored hair obscured my vision a bit as it fell over my face. I tore my hands off the edges of the sink and stumbled back into the hall, not bothering to move my hair out of my face. I was hoping to find someone. Anyone. I got lucky when I ran into Locust Dom smoking a cigarette. I only mean to tap him on the shoulder. I wound up crashing into him. It didn't knock him over, but it did spook him a bit. He calmed down when he saw me.

"Holly! You scared the hell out of me." He said.

"Sorry. I'm kinda......" I am cut off by more puke. "Out of it." I finished, even more disoriented. He moved my hair out of my face.

"You're eyes are bloodshot, you know that?" He told me. I shook my head no. He put out his cigarette and pulled me by my arm to another room. Ranger occupied it, as did John, Dog Marcus, Regular Marcus, Dom, Baird, Kenji and Cole. Dog Marcus greeted me with a slobbery kiss. I giggled and pushed him off. He barked happily. All the while, the others in the room watched. Did they know about my Rustlung? Obviously not, because of the shock on their faces when Dom told them. However, a scientist in the corner of the room looked at me, intrigued. He walked over to me and observed me for a moment before inserting a syringe into my veins and took a blood sample. It was quick, and painless. He then took it over to some sort of analyzer and put my blood sample under. The rest was pretty routine for machines. Push a bunch of unknown buttons, then it scanned the sample. The result surprised him.

"It appears that, instead of killing your red blood cells, the Imulsion is merging with them, as well as your DNA." He said.

"So......... does that mean I'll live?" I asked.

"Yes. Also, was there anyone with you when you were exposed to the Imulsion?" He asked. I pointed to Ranger. He did the same to Ranger he did to me. The results were the same.

"Maybe, it was something in the Imulsion?" I suggested.

"Possibly." the scientist said, then left with our blood samples. I then turned to Ranger.

"What happened after I passed out?" I asked, my vision still coming in and out of focus.

"Kenji did. He and his team found us and evacuated us here." Ranger said. I looked at the smiling man and nodded thanks. Everybody chilled for about ten minutes. My lungs were burning, but I made small talk and played with Dog Marcus. Then, I felt a new pain. It was worse than all the others put together. I felt myself.......... morphing, I guess. Ranger was undergoing something similar. Something was wrong. My knuckles were growing. Sharpening. Breaking skin. I bit my lip and hoped my raven-colored hair blocked out the pained expression on my face. I knew everyone had surrounded us. It was another 5 minutes before the growing stopped and I was able to get up. I went to move my hair out of my face. I wound up almost poking my eye out. I had claws. Wolverine style claws. Ranger had spikes protruding from his arms, legs and back. Everyone around us looked shocked. And this was only the beginning of the shocks for us.


End file.
